GRENADA MEDALLION, Greenwich Village

This is one of Avenue of the Americas’ dwindling supply of lamppost medallions, installed around 1960 to honor the involvement of the USA in the Organization of American States, which includes most of the countries in North, Central and South America. Though a lamppost replacement initiative around 1992 claimed most of them, they can still be found along 6th Avenue between Canal and West 4th Streets, and uptown between West 57th Street and Central Park South.

This one honors the Caribbean island country of Grenada, most famous for its invasion by US forces in 1983 after a Marxist military overthrow of elected Grenadan leader Maurice Bishop.

Grenada’s coat of arms shows the Santa Maria, the flagship of Columbus’ fleet, an English lion. The crescent, out of which comes a white lily, is a symbol for the Catholic population. The seven flowers on the helmet depict the seven parishes on the island. On either side of the shield is an armadillo and a Grenadan dove. The base shows the two mountains and the major lake (Grand Etang) on the island. The banner says, in English:

Maybe you should send this page to the Ambassador of Grenada to the UN; if it’s still Mr. Stanislaus, the same guy as ten years ago (likely, I think, unless he’s retired), he is definitely hands down the nicest man at the UN, and also the only ambassador who answers the phone at his Mission himself. He would probably enjoy seeing the medallion.